By Tyler Strong |Contributor
'All the Money in the World' is a historical thriller directed by Sir Ridley Scott that centers on the kidnapping of Paul Getty. This event was particularly noteworthy because Paul Getty was the grandson of J. Paul Getty, who was at one time the richest man in the world, due to his success as an oil tycoon in the 1950s and 1960s. However, J. Paul Getty refuses to pay the $17 million in ransom his grandson’s kidnappers are demanding, and Gail Harris, Paul’s mother, attempts to convince her father-in-law to pay up what would be a mere drop in the bucket for a man as rich as he.
Gail Harris is played by Michelle Williams, who is particularly excellent in her Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the scrappy and resourceful mother pushed to her limits. She primarily plays off of Mark Wahlberg’s Fletcher Chase, a former CIA agent working as one of Getty Sr.’s top advisors. However, the film was essentially overshadowed by the high profile dropping of Kevin Spacey from the project following several sexual assault allegations against him that came to light in early December. It was one of the more high profiles of the recent deluge of sexual assault and misconduct allegations directed at many male Hollywood performers and executives.
Spacey portrayed the aforementioned oil tycoon and the movie was essentially complete when the news broke. However, Scott felt so much unrest after all of it that he decided to reshoot Spacey’s scenes with Christopher Plummer. This was no quick fix, as J. Paul Getty is on-screen for about 30% of the movie, but Plummer is a cinema legend for a reason, and in two weeks, the film was completed—again. Despite all the media intrigue and controversy, the film released on Christmas, a mere three days behind schedule.
From a purely cinematic standpoint, it’s a tense and well-shot ride. Granted, it’s hard to miss with such a strong stable of lead performances, a fact-based story that lends itself well to a bit of cinematic doctoring, and a seasoned professional behind the camera. For Plummer to be as powerful as he is in this movie with only two weeks to prepare and shoot is phenomenal, and it’s performances like this from Mark Wahlberg, who was most recently seen in 'Daddy’s Home 2' and 'Transformers: The Last Knight' before holding his own against Williams and Plummer, that begs the question as to why he chooses the projects he does. Sure, get that money, but in my opinion, this kind of work was the best he’s been since 2010’s 'The Fighter.'
Also shining here is cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, whose eye for the rustic Italian countryside much of the film takes place in is impeccable, and the sunny vistas on the horizon juxtaposed with Paul Getty’s miserable situation is not lost on the attune viewer.
'All the Money in the World' serves as yet another successful outing for Sir Ridley Scott, and while the film released at the tail end of 2017, it’s in theaters now, and there are far worse ways to kick off 2018 at the theater.
See more from Tyler Strong at somestrongwords.wordpress.com.